A TERRIFIED mum grappled with a Staffordshire bull terrier after it pinned her niece to the ground in Balls Wood.

Heather Maher, 37, was playing cricket with her two children, niece and nephew, on Friday afternoon, when the dog began chasing the youngsters.

As they tried to flee, the animal pounced on six-year-old Katy Thornton as she fell over.

Heather was able to grab the dog by the collar and frighten it away using the cricket bat.

She is now urging all dog owners in the area to take more care with their pets, which can be extremely frightening for young children.

She said: "Katy was absolutely distraught, all the children were scared but the attitude of the owner really upset me.

"He was nowhere to be seen all the time this dog was chasing them, and when I did confront him about what the animal had done, all I got was a string of obscenities.

"I did make a formal complaint to the police, but it seems unless someone is bitten there is only so much they can do.

"I want to say to people who let dogs like this run wild, this is the summer holidays, it isn't fair to be dominating the area and terrifying children in this way.

"I feel less confident going to take the kids out for a little game of cricket if irresponsible owners are going to let something like this happen."

A spokesman for Merseyside Police said: "We would urge dog owners to be vigilant with their pets, particularly during the summer months, when our parks are busier than ever.

"It is important that your dog remains on a lead in crowded parks, where they will come into contact with a number of other dogs, as well as a large number of children who are out and about enjoying the summer sunshine."